Wire-drawing mechanism



C.F.MEAD

WIRE DRAWING MECHANISM July 16, 1929.

Filed March 26 1925 2 Sheets$heet' l July 16, 1929. c. F. MEAD WIREDRAWING MECHANISM Filed March 2 1925 2 Shkaets-Sheet 2 wire is, coiledupon the drum. However,

Patented July 16, 1929.

CARL r. MEAD, or CLEVELAND, onro.

WIRE-DRAWING MECHANISM.

Application filed March .26, 1925. Serial No. 18,495.

This improvement relates to wire drawing mechanism and is an improvementupon the invention shown, described and claimed in my Patent No.1,682,393 of August 28, 1928, for wire drawing mechanism. j

The object of the present invention is generally to provide improvedreadily. releasable clamping or holding means for the free end of thewire, to improve the wire holding rods or hooks upon which the wireiscollected after it leaves the drum, and to improve themechanism forremoving. the finished coil from the drum.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part willappear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which represent one suitable embodiment of theinvention, Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the drumon a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation on the line3-3, Fig. 2, and illustrating the coil removing mechanism; and Fig. 4 isa detail sectional elevation, on a larger scale, on the line H, Fig. 2,and showing .theoperation of the wire 'holding rods or hooks.

The wire drawing mechanism shown. in the drawings, generally speaking,is of the same construction and arrangement shown in my priorapplication referred to. It comprises mounted a vertical spindle 2driven through the gear 3, 4 from apowershaft 5. On

said spindle 2 is a clutch member 6 adapted member (not shown) on thedrawing drum 7 when the latter is permitted to drop into drivingrelation with the clutch 6. As shown, the coupling of the drum drivingclutch is controlled by a lever 8 pivoted at 9 in the frame and actuatedby a manually operable bell crank lever 10, the lever 8 beingprovidedwith rollers 11 adapted when the lever 10 is moved in thecounter-clockwise direction, Fig. 1, to elevate the drum and uncouple itfrom driving relation with spindle 2.

The wire is led to the drum through the usual die block mounted in aframe 12 pivoted at 13 on the stationary frame.

The drum shown in thedrawings is of usual form in so far as it-includesthe cylindrical body portion 14 tapering slightly toward the top so thatthe wirewill readily travel upwardly thereon and is provided at itsbottom with a flange 15 over which the to drive a clutch the usual frame1 in which isupon the body portion is supported aconical or tapering topor upper member 16 pro vided with a spirally, inclined track formed bythe shoulder'of a rib.17, said track leading upwardly in spiral form toa cylindrical or slightly tapered upper extensionlS of the cone 16,where the track terminates opposite one end of a transverse recess 19 insaid extension. Here are provided themeans for releasably gripping orholding the free end of thewire, to wit, a roughenedor toothed plate 20removably secured in one side wall of the recess and opposite which islocated a laterally adjustable wedge member 21, that face of said wedgemember nearest to the block 20 being parallel thereto and its oppositeface being inclined, so that adjustvrnent of the wedge transversely ofthe central axis toward its smaller end, as shown inFig 2, will clampthe wire end more or.

less firmly against the roughened block 20, while its adjustment in theopposite direction will release the wire. For convenience the wedge maybe provided with an elongated slot 22 through which extends the holdingbolt 23 and the wedge may be manips ulated or adjusted ineitherdirection by tapping or pressing upon its outwardly extending freeends. 1 7

Having so fastened the free end of the wire in the upper portion of thedrum the latter is dropped into driving relation with the driving clutch6 and the Wire is coiled or laid alongside and then along thecylindrical portion of the drum until its bottom flange 15 is reached,whereupon, as in ordinary practice, successive turns of the wire arecrowded in, one be-.

neath another, after the manner'of laying:

the finished coils being along the drum body The rope on a capstan,pushed upwardly spiral arrangement, as in my prior application,progressively, positively'and uniformly increases the speed of travel ofwire through.

It is the practice in wire drawing rhecha' nisms of this class to permitthe completed coils to rise along the drum and finally leave the upperedge ofnthe cylindrical body thereon, one after another, such'turnsbeing collected upon rods or hooks extending up wardly from the drumbody along the pethe track 17 in spiral form riphery thereof. Inordinary practice, these rods or hooks are set or placed in theiropenings by the workmen before the drawing operation is started, butobviously the addition to said drum of the conical upper portion withthe spiral track thereon along which the wire is led downwardlyaccording to my invention prohibits upward extension of said rods fromthe cylindrical drum body during the starting operation. As a result, inmy patent referred to, I provided hooks or rods which during the start-.

ing operation lay below or did not extend above thelower'end of theconical top of the drum and which rods were caused to rise with the wireas the finished coils thereof left the cylindrical body ofthe drum. Ac-

cording to the present invention I have so improved said rods or hooksasto materially increase their wire holding capacity, permittingeffective upward rising or extension of said rods toa degree notheretofore obtained and thereby enabling larger coils to be'completedwith a single strand. In the present construction said hooks or rods areof telescoping or extensible form, including a tubular or hollow bodyportion enlarged at the bottom to form a head 26 which travels within avertical opening 27' in the boss of the drum body. The upper end of saidopening is partly closed either by the metal around the edge of the holein the overlying cone or, as shown, by the inwardly extending edges of aplate or flange 28 fitting fairly closely the body of the tube 25, sothat throughout its vertical movement the body 25 is guided and heldtruly vertical at two points, to wit, at the head 26 where the latterslides along the wall 27 and at the plate or flange 28 along which thebody of the tube 25 slides. The second member of the rod or hook is abar 29 having the hooked upper end 30 and an enlarged head 31'travelling in the central opening of the member 25.

Several of these rods or hooks are spaced around the periphery of thedrum, four in the instance shown; At the beginning ;of the drawingoperation the upper member 29 is telescoped into the member 25 and saidtwo members together are dropped to their lowest position in the recess27, or to approximately the dotted line position, Fig. 4,

with the hooks 30 extending radially outwardly, as in F ig. 2.Consequently, during the starting operation the wire travels from theclamp at the top of the cone downwardly along the conical track whichterminates at the top of the cylindrical body of the drum .between twoof the rods or hooks, so that the wire passes upon the cylinder betweentwo of said rods or hooks and then is laid spirally down to the flange15. As successive coils are now laid upon the drum, each beneath thepreceding one, the upper coils 1,721,184 g a y p finally rise to thehooks and engage the hooked upper ends thereof, and as successive coilsleave the top of the cylinder they elevate the rods or hooks with themuntil finally said rods or hooks have been lifted to their extreme upperpositions and confine or hold in proper position a large bundle of wire,represented generally by the dotted line A, Fig. 4:. As successive coilsleave the top of the cylinder and rise, the spiralportion of the wirelying along the rib 17 leaves said rib and rises with said coils, sothat there is no binding or straining of the wire as the coil increasesinheight. The finished coil isready to be'removed from the drum when itsinitial end is unclamped from the cone.

The coil removing mechanism is shown more particularly in Fig 3; It issuspend-- ed from a crane or other overhead apparatus or supportand-includes a central rod or spindle .31 provided with a suspending eye32 and at its lower end having a head 33 connected by'a series, say 4,of radially extending links 3% to a like number of arms 35 pivoted attheir upper ends to a spider frame 36, the hub 37 of which slides 'vertically on rod 31 and is adapted to be supported in its upper position bya gravity or other suitably operated hook 38 having an operating handle39. The lower ends of the arms 35 are provided with hook portions 40. cTo properly engage the removing apparatus with the coil, provision ismade-- for the entry of said arms into the cone and cylinder of the drumand their'outward movement into coil engaging position; In the formshown, the drum, including the conical top 16 and the cylindrical body14: is provided with four spaced radially extending slots 4.1,whichintersect the rib 17, and into which the arms 35 are introduced bydownward. motion of theremoving apparatus. In engaging, the arms withthe coil by downwardmotion the hook 38 is released from the hub 37 andthe latter lies at its lowest position on rod 31, or adjacent the head33. In said position the hooked ends 40of arms 35 lie inwardly near theaxis of the apparatus. As the mechanism is lowered the hooked ends 40'engage the upper inclined surfaces 42' of webs 42 extending outwardlyfrom the center of the vdrum cylinder beneath the slots 41, so thatdownward motion of the arms 35 and their supportingspider frame 36 isfirst prevented or continued lowering movement of the rod 31 and head 33permits the links 34 to turn and the lower ends of the arm 35 to moveoutwardly and. downwardly along the surfaces 42 until finally in thelowermost position of the mechanism the hooked ends 40 of said armsextend outwardly beneath the lower end of the formed coil. In thisposition the hook 38 has wiped over the upper flange of'the l hub 37 andhas engaged beneath the same.

' and the lifting apparatus may be elevated by its crane and the wirecoil carried up with i t, it, of course, being understood that theinitial free end of the' wire is first released or unclamped from thedrawing drum. When the coil has been carried-to its new position, handle39 may be manipulated torelease the frame 36 which with the coil fallsand causes the hooked ends 40 to move inwardly and release the coil,which is deposited in its proper place.

lVhen the rods or hooks are seated in their lowest position in the drum,with the hook ends turned outwardly they are held in properv position tobe raised automatically by the growing coil. When in their upperpositions, with hooks above the cone, the hooks may be readily turnedbya manual operation so as to disengage them from the coil, but while theyare being lifted by the growing coil the engagement of the wiretherewith prevents the hooks from turning inwardly.

With this apparatus it is possible to wind a very large coil of wirewith a progressively, positively and uniformly increased starting speedvarying from Zero to maximum speed and to properly pile up said coilabove the drum and confine it by the hooks described until it is removedby the lifting apparatus and is conveyed to its proper place.

In use of these winding drums the Wire drawn upon and rising along thedrum frequently wears cylindrical portion of the drum must be renewed orreplaced at intervals. To prolong the life of the cylindrical portion ofthe drum I have provided the body thereof with a series, four beingshown, of replaceable wear plates, marked 45. Neglecting the slightconical form of the drum, and assuming it to be a cylinder, each of saidsegments in shape is one-quarter of a cylinder and is a wear resistingmetal plate or facing, made of steel or the like, with its lower edgeentering a recess in the base flange of the drum, as at 46', andprovided, if desired, with an inwardly extending upper flange 47 lyingand held between the upper edge of the cylinder and the flange of thecone. These wear plates may also be secured in any suitable manner, suchas by the threaded shanks i8 fastened through openings or slots in thewall of the drum and upon which the clamping nuts 49 are threaded.

What I claim is:

1. A wire drawing drum provided with substantially cylindrical andconical pormanipulation at either end.

holding means the drum surface so that the Y tions,"an axially extendingportion provid-i ed with a transversely extending recess, and wedgemeans/adjustable in saidrecess for securing the leading end of the wiretherein, said wedge means extending outwardly beyond said. axiallyextending portion for 2. A wire drawing drum having a coni: cal upperportion having an upper extension provided with a diametricallyextending recess, means for securing the wire in said recess,'and aspiral wire guiding "track iextending downwardly alongsaidconical-portion from one end of said recess and along which the wireis led during the drawing operation. V

3. A wire drawing drum provided with a substantially cylindrical bodyportion and a wire starting conical portion above the same, incombination with extensible means normally out-of the path of the wireas it is laid upon the starting portion and so arranged as to rise abovethe cylindrical body portion a greater distance than the height of saidbody portion. r

4. A wire 'drawin drum provided with a substantially cylin rical bodyportion and a wire starting conical portion above the same, incombination with extensible wire adjustable vertically relative to thedrum and arranged to be lifted by the rising coil above the drum agreater distance than its own height.

5. A wire drawing drum provided at in-. tervals around its peripherywith wire 100 holding devices adjustable vertically relative to the drumand each including telescopically related members adapted for extensionabove the drum as the coils leave its upper edge.

'6. A wire drawing drum, comprising a substantially cylindrical bodyportion, a conical portion above the same, a spiraljtrack upon saidconical portion, and coil lifting members cooperating with said drum andno expansible outwardly to engage the coil from its center, said conicalportion being pro- .vided with openings interrupting said track,

for the entry of said lifting members into the cylindrical body portion.I 5 7. A wire drawing drum, comprising a substantially cylindrical bodyportion, a conical portion above the same, a spiral track upon saidconicalportion, coil lifting members cooperating with said drum and ex 1pansible outwardly to engage the coil from its center, said conicalportion being provided with openings interrupting said track, for theentry of said lifting members into the cylindrical body portion, andmeans beneath said conical portion for causing outward movement of saidmembers.

8. A wire drawing drum, comprising a substantially cylindrical bodyportion, a conical portion above the same provided with a spiral wireguiding track, and coil lifting members cooperating therewith andexpansible outwardly to engage the coil from its center, said conicalportion being provided with radially extending slots intersectin saidtrack and adapted for the entry of sai l lifting members into thecylindrical body portion.

9. A wire drawing drum having a substantially cylindrical outer surfaceprovided with removable wear resisting facing means, and a bottom flangeprovided with an annular channel in which said means is seated.

said plates having flanges at their upper I edges extending inwardlyover a shoulder at the upper edge of the drum cylinder, and a conicalwire starting member mounted on the drum with said plate flanges betweenit and the drum.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my CARL F. MEAD.

signature.

